1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a side-loading refuse collection wagon of the type which comprises a chassis, a cab, and a body.
2. Description of Related Art
As is known, side-loading wagons are customarily driven to stop alongside a trash bin to be emptied. The bin is picked up from the ground and, by means of a hoisting and tilting device, tipped over into the wagon body or a wagon hopper whence the refuse material is gradually transferred into the wagon body.
In accordance with a prior approach, a side-loading wagon of a currently employed type has, secured on the chassis at an intermediate position between the cab and the body, the hoisting and tilting device, and the hopper is usually laid side-by-side each on a respective lateral side of the wagon. After the body is filled with the refuse material, it is unloaded either by tipping over or by operating an ejector plate. This approach has the drawback of restricting the wagon load capacity due to the limited body length available. In fact, the chassis length is taken up in part by the hopper and the hoisting and tilting device. Another drawback of this approach is that the wagon is liable to let out foul drippings as the refuse material is transferred from the hopper into the body.
Another known approach provides a side-loading wagon wherein the hopper is formed inside the wagon body and movable therein to discharge the refuse material. The hoisting and tilting device is arranged to lie transversely at an intermediate position to the wagon body and the cab, and tips a bin over into the hopper through an opening provided in the body upper region. After the wagon body has been filled, the hopper is driven along the wagon body to eject its cargo. This prior approach has been effective to stop the dripping of foul liquids. However, it still results in an inefficient use of the chassis length, which is partly occupied by the hoisting devices. Further, the hoisting and tilting device is "squeezed" between the wagon body and the cab, being laid across the vehicle axis, which results in a bin picking up and hoisting action which is less direct than that to be obtained with a device laid along the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.
According to a further prior approach, a side-loading wagon is provided wherein the wagon body is extended as far as the cab and the hoisting device tips the bin over to empty through an opening formed in the upper region of the body directly into the wagon body or into a hopper placed within the body.
The latter known approach overcomes the problem of foul liquid dripping, but is still deficient as far as the utilization of the vehicle volume is concerned since the vehicle, which cannot be allowed to exceed the width limits provided for by traffic regulations, can only afford maximum volume capacity if the body is rectangular in shape with the base dimension equal to the maximum allowable width. Any other forms are bound to tax the volume of the vehicle.
In view of the fact that both the ejector plate and the front wall of any hopper accommodated within the body are to have the same cross-section as the wagon body interior in order to discharge the refuse material by a sliding movement spanning the full length of the wagon body, the prior approaches have adopted wagon bodies of reduced width throughout or having cross-sectional shapes other than a rectangle, in order to contain the bin hoisting and tilting device within the maximum width limits allowed for the vehicle, to the evident detriment of the maximum volume capacity that the vehicle design could otherwise afford.